Myanmar: Suu Kyi’s party holds first ever congress

In Myanmar, the opposition party of Aung San Suu Kyi is holding its first ever congress 25 years after it was founded.

The National League for Democracy has spent the majority of its existence being hounded by the military regime which locked up its leaders.

Since the end of direct military rule in 2011, the NLD has won a substantial place in parliament.

But if it is to win power in elections in two years, experts say it will have to develop its policies further.

NLD member Wai Zin Aung said: “I hope that after the conference the party will become stronger and more democratic. I believe that.”

Political analyst Yan Myo Thein added: “Many NLD leaders are weak at criticising the views of Aung San Suu Kyi. So all party decisions are dependent on just Aung San Suu Kyi and become a burden to her. If the NLD continues like this it will become just like an autocratic system.”

After years of a single-minded focus on getting rid of the military regime in Myanmar, the NLD won more than 40 seats in parliament last year with a manifesto just two pages long.

Analysts say it is time to expand that if the party is to win in 2015.

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